CORANZ Rates Political Parties On Outdoors and Environment

NZ First ranks as the political party most
attuned to New Zealanders love of outdoor recreation and the
environment, while National ranks bottom equal with the
Maori Party. That is the result of an election charter
“question and answer” independent survey by the Council
of Outdoor Recreation Associations of New Zealand (CORANZ).
Seventeen questions relating to outdoor recreation and the
environment were put to all parties.

Of parties currently
in Parliament NZ First, on 94 out of 100, was well ahead of
United Future, (76) followed by Labour (64) and then the
Green Party (58).

National, ACT and Maori parties failed
to respond with answers despite a reminder after closing
date. Of parties not in Parliament the Outdoors Party scored
76 and Opportunities 64

CORANZ co-chairman Bill Benfield
said NZ First showed a strong empathy with most issues and
on big issues like a population policy showed a willingness
for public debate on “bigger issues.".

Another topic
which recently emerged among economists was replacing the
old monetary-based GDP with a wider ranging
Genuine-Progress-Indicator (GPI) embracing a fuller quality
of life by measuring not just economic, but also social and
environmental factors.

“NZ First welcomed debate on the
two subjects of population and GPI which was positive
whereas both Labour and National rejected them,” said Bill
Benfield, CORANZ co-chairman.

The Green Party scored well
in some areas but overall polled below its potential because
of disagreement with charter points such as recognising deer
and trout as valued wildlife and sporting species and
another, being supportive of eco-toxins.

“They
unfortunately are still hung up on the anti-introduced
phobia. Illogical because humans are introduced as are
sheep, cattle, potatoes and petunias,” commented Bill
Benfield.

Big game management (i.e. deer, chamois, tahr,
wapiti etc) as practised in every other country was totally
rejected by the Green Party.

However a main discussion
point and a disappointment to the assessment panel was
National as the major party of government and its failure to
respond at all.

Another judge CORANZ co-chairman Andi
Cockroft added that National were even sent a reminder after
deadline. Similarly the Maori Party while at least
acknowledging the reminder, also did not
respond.

“It’s extremely disappointing because much
of the current outdoor recreation-environment debate
naturally centres around government policy since the
National Party has headed government for the last nine
years,” said Andi Cockroft.

Voters could draw their own
conclusions he said. “Did National just not rank
outdoor recreation and the environment highly, or did they
consider the government had too much to answer for,
particularly around issues like “dirty rivers”, gutting
of the RMA, sea fisheries mismanagement, foreign ownership,
toxic substances and more far-sighted issues looming like a
population policy and discarding the monetary based GDP for
a Genuine Progress Indicator embracing economic, social and
environmental measurements?”

Commenting on the Maori
party’s lack of response he said it would have been
fitting for Maori because of their oft-stated cultural
empathy with the environment. The Maori party had been part
of the National-led government and had some measure of
responsibility for policy and decision making around
fisheries, degraded rivers, foreign ownership of high
country and other issues. Both CORANZ co-chairmen urged
all New Zealanders and particularly those who enjoyed the
outdoors, to vote.

“It’s imperative and it’s urgent
because each three years between elections sees a slide
downhill in terms of the environment and outdoor
recreation.”

It has been estimated a million New
Zealanders enjoy the outdoors in one form or another such as
sea or freshwater fishing, hunting, shooting, tramping, 4
wheel driving, mountain biking and others sports. A Horizon
survey a few years back revealed fishing had five times more
participants than rugby. “Outdoor recreation is not a
small self-interested sector but the major sporting activity
for Kiwis,” said Andi
Cockroft.

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